It’s been six years since Utah and Weber State met in a men’s basketball matchup.
That streak will end Saturday, when the Runnin’ Utes host the Wildcats at the Huntsman Center (5 p.m. MST, ESPN+).
It’s been more than a decade, though, since these two in-state schools have played each other on a consistent basis.
That will change, at least in the short term, with Saturday’s game.
The Utes and Wildcats will face each other three of the next four seasons, including games in 2026 and 2028 as well, with all three games taking place at the Huntsman Center, according to the Standard Examiner’s Brett Hein.
Back when Runnin’ Utes first-year coach Alex Jensen was playing for Utah from the mid-1990s to 2000, facing Weber State was an every-year thing. He twice competed against his brother, Andy Jensen, when he was a Wildcat.
Things have changed a lot in the modern game, and it’s a rivalry this generation of players isn’t well-familiar with. Utah leads the overall series, 27-14.
“I’ve been gone for a long time, but I did remind our guys, I don’t think most of them are familiar with the in-state rivalry. (We) used to play everybody when I was here, but it’s a big game for them,” Jensen said.
“You know, they could make their season (with a win). So I’m trying to get our guys ready for the expectations that we’ve got to come out from the beginning and be ready.”
The Utes are coming into the game with a 1-0 record, after beating San Jose State 84-75 on Monday in the season opener.
“I thought we did a lot of things in the first game. I don’t think any of us could have predicted that (fifth-year guard) Don McHenry would have got nine rebounds, but I was pleased,” Jensen said.
“The second half versus the first half, especially rebounding, (it) helped us win. I told them today, win or lose, the goal is just to keep getting better. We want to win every game, but hoping to see some more improvement against Weber on Saturday.”
Iowa transfer Seydou Traore led the Utah attack with a career-high 23 points, three assists, four steals, two blocks and a rebound in his first game for the Utah program.
Guards McHenry (16 points) and Terrence Brown (12) also scored in double-figures, while McHenry tied for the team lead with nine rebounds and Brown had a team-best eight assists.
Jensen said a couple areas he’s been stressing improvement on Saturday is in rebounding and on defense.
“(We’re) trying to tell our guys that our offense can benefit from our defensive rebounding. So think that first,” he said.
Eric Duft is in his fourth year leading the Wildcats program, and after a 12-22 season, Weber State is trying to get back to a winning record.
The Wildcats are coming off a 130-38 win over West Coast Baptist, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.
All 12 Weber State players who took the court scored, including walk-on Brady Smith, a former Ute who is the son of former Utah coach Craig Smith.
The Wildcats were paced by sophomore guard Trevor Hennig, who had 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Former Boise State and UNLV guard Jace Whiting had 19 points and five assists.
Another connection between the current regimes: Utah assistant coach Eric Daniels spent five years (from 2019-24) in Ogden, three with former Weber State coach Randy Rahe and two under Duft.
